Monthly Archives: November 2017

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. (1 Timothy 4:4)

As we began to share our lives and struggles at the Andersons homegroup it helped us know we were making a difference in each other’s lives from the pool of knowledge we could share. A few members had disabled children so this got me thinking about all the changes in my life and lessons we learned through the years. Up until part way through grade school I would pretty much say other than not being as strong or fast as other kids I seemed “normal”. Soon my legs became weaker until eventually something had to be done so I could get around safely. This was the very first time where I knew life was about to change and that everyone else would know because I needed a medical device to assist me. For many years I graduated from one wheelchair to the next each with newer features to help me better navigate my life. Each wheelchair was a big help in my life and after a while I got used to that way of life it was my normal. For the most part except for a couple breathing treatments in the ER if I got sick I was unattached from any other medical devices. After my carbon dioxide (CO2) built up in my blood in 2007 doctors realized the best treatment for me was to use a Bipap machine while sleeping to assist in getting rid of all my CO2. At first it seemed scary and life altering in comparison to needing help to get around. Not many people whitness me using it and transporting it was not hard. When I got used to it the benefits were worth very little upset to my health and lifestyle. Right before meeting the Andersons I had another stay in the hospital because of congestion and mucus build up in my stomach. Other than at home breathing treatments there were no new machines I had to use but the MDA loan closet donated me a cough assist machine. It can be a lifesaver but it’s freaky to use, it thrusts a high volume of air into your lungs and sucks everything out like a vacuum. Thankfully I have rarely used it though respiratory theorists believe it to be a big help. Later I was feeling ill again and MDA got me the VEST airway clearance system. It uses chambers of air wrapped around my chest to rapidly beat on it and keep my lungs clear. I use it for thirty minutes each night and it has helped keep me out of the hospital. The newest machines I started using just after my brother passed away when my daytime breathing became more labored. It is a two part system called the Trilogy 100 it is a non-invasive ventilator one part replaced my Bipap and the other is mounted to my chair and I can get an extra breath whenever I need one.

The last three devices I mentioned in the above paragraph have become a necessary part of my life. Anytime I go away overnight all the machines go with me, they are heavy and lugging them with us is no easy task. In many ways having to realy so much on machines made me feel less human for a while and almost as if the breath of God was no longer enough for me. I didn’t want to realy more on man’s creation when Gods way is so much greater (Rom. 1:25). It took sometime before I could see any good in becoming more dependent on mechanical ventilation but then I got to thinking about all the harmful things people do to damage their breathing. My air is filtered so even pollutants, bacteria and dust have less impact on me. I’m breathing to increase my life not damage it. When I noticed this machine might have been somewhat of a God send I felt it was goood and thankfully have accepted it. Every good and every perfect gift are from above coming from our heavenly who never changes the way He loves on us. Medical machines to help sustain lives are a good gift of God put in men’s heart to invent. What seems perfect would be healing miracles for everyone. What matters most is God does all good things and we should take notice of this. Machines have become a necessary good in my life for my longevity and survival. I use it daily in my standing against the evil forces (Eph. 6:13-14). It helps me to stand firm until the Lord leads us into victory.

Lord our lives are full of machines that can do any unthinkable number of things for us. We ask Lord that we would remember that you created it for good so help us to see and use these devices in ways that are pleasing to you. Help us also not to look at what could be a gift from you in any other way. If it makes life better for us in ways God approves of it is from Him to further the journey of our perfection. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tuesdays Torch has been viewed in countries all across the globe through our website and social media. We pray the words of every Torch will sink into the hearts and minds of readers. Please share Tuesdays Torch and encourage others with it. To partner with Tuesdays Torch and help expand our reach please contact us. We pray the Lord will touch our readers. All of what Christ did was so we would believe. He told us not to believe because of what He said but in what He did (John 14:11). Every Tuesday we talk about what He did and is still doing. The best thing God’s done is send His Son so we could be saved (John 3:16). If anyone is not a believer we pray they will invite the Lord into their lives by asking Him to forgive their sins and believing that He is the Son of God. Please share testimonies, feedback or encouraging words by email at: tuesdaystorch@gmail.com we enjoy hearing from you. Look out for next Tuesdays Torch on our website http://www.tuesdaystorch.com , by email, on Facebook as Tuesdays Torch or Twitter @tuesdaystorch Thanks and God Bless!

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. (Psalm 57:1)

There were quite a few things right in my life when I was in the Hospital during Mothers Day but life felt like it fell apart after losing the ability to feed myself. It was an unimaginable loss in my life! I tried trusting in a relationship with my then girlfriend whose last name was Hope but after bad things happened in both our lives we broke up and through that loss I truly learned we can only hope in the Lord. Through my relationship, hospital visit and breakup my family continued attending MorningStar each week. It really felt like a safe haven where we could get away and be fully devoted to our relationship with God. MorningStar is pretty large church with an average of about a thousand people on Sundays. Fitting in for most people feels difficult at first and with that number of people it is hard to know who to connect with. After a while we started hearing about connect groups but a lot of them were hard for us to commit to living forty minutes from that area. The Lord had been revealing many thing to my mom, brother and me so we decided to speak with Bobby the family pastor at MorningStar. He shed some prophetic light on things we could be doing individually and as a family to grow spiritually. Connect groups he said would be a great on ramp for us to feel more like we were part of something. He didn’t pick for us but suggested that we contact the Andersons who had a growing group of disabled children to adults and their caregivers. We met them at the beginning of a week night church service when they were getting settled at their seat. They were a young family with twins grade school age and one that started school shortly after we met them. We first met Corrie then her husband Jeremy and the twins Merry and Shelby. Last we were introduced to Zachary in his extra fancy stroller he needed to get around. He was unable to talk to us because of a brain injury but behind his smile, laughs and coos I could see an unexplainable joy between himself and God. It is sometimes said that Zachary spends most days in Jesus lap and through the years I have seen this be an accurate statement.

We were impressed by this family and immediately felt a strong connection with them. After meeting we were ready to join their homegroup. I’m thinking mom went alone for a while because it was near the holidays and we were preoccupied at home. Members refereed to this gathering as wings home group because we could show up there and be relaxed knowing that everyone one there had similar struggles. We felt safety in the shadow of the Almighty’s wings when we came together seeking Him to be our refuge in our various times of need. We were like a glorified support group for one another. We would pray together, watch videos, do bible studies and share our thoughts but we also shared resources and share wisdom about life in the disabled community. Because we had so much in common with other families in the group we were able to exchange the valuable knowledge we all had to help one another go without we needed. Sometimes it was just a phone call, prayer or hug other times it was I have a phone number for this organization and they could really help with that. We were meeting together for different activities outside of group; we ate together often and shared our lives with glad and sincere hearts (Acts 2:44-46). Those that share similar struggles who believe in Christ should share their love and compassion with eachother. This helps us to take our eye off of our struggle and helps us remember others above ourselves. Not focusing so much on us takes our mind off it and we remain humble (Phil. 2:1-4). Eventually as lives changed our group progressed and came to a necessary ending. The bond we formed with the Andersons has matured into a beautiful and successful friendship. We even got to share a weekend with Corrie, Merry and Shelby when they came for a weekend visit with us in Charleston.

Lord Please help us to find others with similar struggles to our own who can help us most because they have been there. Help us to have divine appointments with people we can share our lives with and for strong bonds. Also please help us to look not so much at our own struggle but to find another who we can help through theirs. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tuesdays Torch has been viewed in countries all across the globe through our website and social media. We pray the words of every Torch will sink into the hearts and minds of readers. Please share Tuesdays Torch and encourage others with it. To partner with Tuesdays Torch and help expand our reach please contact us. We pray the Lord will touch our readers. All of what Christ did was so we would believe. He told us not to believe because of what He said but in what He did (John 14:11). Every Tuesday we talk about what He did and is still doing. The best thing God’s done is send His Son so we could be saved (John 3:16). If anyone is not a believer we pray they will invite the Lord into their lives by asking Him to forgive their sins and believing that He is the Son of God. Please share testimonies, feedback or encouraging words by email at: tuesdaystorch@gmail.com we enjoy hearing from you. Look out for next Tuesdays Torch on our website http://www.tuesdaystorch.com , by email, on Facebook as Tuesdays Torch or Twitter @tuesdaystorch Thanks and God Bless!

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

Right after starting Tuesdays Torch I felt the blessings of God on my life and was certain He brought Erin Hope into my life and we were in love. Unfortunately a lot of extra stress was dumped on us above and beyond what was normal. Shortly after we met I got sick and was in the hospital during the week of Mother’s Day. I really was unsure what exactly was happening I felt congested some and would get a feeling like my stomach was full or bloated. The symptoms kind of came and went I would feel better for a day or two then when it came back I would feel worse. Finally I felt bad enough to call and be transported to the hospital in Charlotte to be near my doctors. In the ER I told them my symptoms and when the doctor pressed on my tummy she knew something wasn’t right and needed to get the swelling down before it ruptured. First I had to get a tube put up my nose and fed it down into my stomach to let out the gases and pump it to see what was in it. It was horrible feeling to me and it had to be there through the night. After running a scan of my abdomen they admitted me to the hospital for observation and to help me over the hump. Erin spent many hours with me but on Mother’s Day her girls, my mom and brother came and I was able to go eat with them in the cafeteria, it was a good day. Before going into the hospital I was still able to feed myself but during my recovery I couldn’t lean forward over the table on my tummy and feed myself so I lost the ability completely. With Muscular Dystrophy if you stop doing an ability there isn’t much that can be done to regain it. After that I got to worrying about my health. I wanted to live the life I had with Erin and see her daughters grow up. While we were together she also lost her job, was hurting financially and was turned down for unemployment. When she couldn’t find a job she decided to go back to school when her daughter started school. Our love was strong but all the stress changed things between us. We went from what seemed so perfect to arguing all the time and attacking eachothers weaknesses. Right before it went haywire I bought a ring and hoped to give it to her. But she felt beat, depressed, frustrated and hopeless. I had a lot of needs I was unsure about, I got clingy and insecure. At that time she had no desire to stay in the relationship so we never got to the ring.

When this happened I was so worried that she would be the death of me. I never physically felt so much pain in my life. Everything reminded me of her. I was sick to my stomach, couldn’t eat, sleep or shut off my mind. Hope differed makes the heart sick (Pr. 13:12). I found out more than ever before, that life was not fair. To get over this I decided to take my hope off the person with hope in her name and placed it in the hands of God who none of us can live without. I fell in love with Jesus like I never had before (Mt. 22:37) He started revealing himself to me in books, scripture, music and dreams. He showed me he had a plan for my life; right from where I was sitting. Without learning to have hope in the source of hope I would not have had the strength to go on. I dug in deep to His word and kept writing the Torch that I started just before I got into that relationship. I was discouraged and didn’t feel like writing but I never stopped and as I drew near to God I felt Him draw near to me. I read a great book called “The Shack” by William P. Young and it helped me to see God on a more personal level. After a few months or so running after the Person of Christ I finally felt the love of God in my heart. I realized that our hope in every circumstance should be in the Lord. Other people do not have the happiness we seek it comes from God. When I realized God was all I had He was all I knew that I ever needed and down the road He would bring me the best wife in the world. She understands me like no one ever has and I love her so very much.

Lord I thank you that the relationships in our past have been part of the journey of getting us to where we are today. Help us not to look at relationships that didn’t work out with hate, animosity or negativity. This isn’t always easy Lord but necessary so that we can move forward. We ask that you would take away our pain and hurt from the past and replace them with high hopes for the future. Mostly Lord no one loves us like you do and no relationship can replace you. Help us to love you before we love anyone else so that we can love everyone like we should. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tuesdays Torch has been viewed in countries all across the globe through our website and social media. We pray the words of every Torch will sink into the hearts and minds of readers. Please share Tuesdays Torch and encourage others with it. To partner with Tuesdays Torch and help expand our reach please contact us. We pray the Lord will touch our readers. All of what Christ did was so we would believe. He told us not to believe because of what He said but in what He did (John 14:11). Every Tuesday we talk about what He did and is still doing. The best thing God’s done is send His Son so we could be saved (John 3:16). If anyone is not a believer we pray they will invite the Lord into their lives by asking Him to forgive their sins and believing that He is the Son of God. Please share testimonies, feedback or encouraging words by email at: tuesdaystorch@gmail.com we enjoy hearing from you. Look out for next Tuesdays Torch on our website http://www.tuesdaystorch.com , by email, on Facebook as Tuesdays Torch or Twitter @tuesdaystorch Thanks and God Bless!

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

During the time while the Lord was showing me a plan for the Christian Healthcare Commission I had a feeling that I needed to use the word inside of me to reach people with the scriptures. At the time I was reading a weekly message sent to my email every Friday. The messages were full of truth in reference to the word but sometimes they would share opinions about other people and ministries that were very judgmental. It doesn’t thrill me when people oppose the word, have their own agenda or only share what feels good but who’s worthy enough to cast the first stone. This email study I was reading was attacking men of God whose ministries have greatly impacted millions of lives. Seeing this made me angry because I feel if a message is in agreement with scripture than it is ok. All ministries who share the love of Jesus speak truth and we should all be on the same team. The bible never tells us to tear down one another but to build eachother up in every way we can. For a few more months I continued reading and more often than not a holy anger would rise up inside of me until I told the Lord I was done with it. That is when I felt the voice inside me say, “If you think you could do better why not do it yourself.” This was not what I expected or wanted to hear. I had no desire to write an ongoing bible study and didn’t know I could so like most men I tried to ignore the calling. However there was no running; those words stayed with me and soon I felt obligated to share what I had learned after reading the whole bible twice the previous year. I didn’t know if I could do better than what I read on Fridays but I made it my business to never speak against another ministry and to keep my focus on revealing scripture to others. Finally after accepting the call in my heart Tuesdays Torch had its beginning and to my amazement it has grown and is still going strong almost nine years later.

Tuesdays Torch is a combination of stories, revelations, dreams, topics and series that capture the scriptures in a way where readers can understand their meaning and apply them to their lives. When someone reads the Torch I want the light of God’s word to illuminate them in such a way where the darkness completely fades away. The Lord is a lamp; He turns our darkness into light. The word of the Lord will be a guiding light to our feet showing us the way we should go (Ps. 119:105). The path of sinners is dark and unsure because they have no light to guide them. But the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining brighter until the full light of day has been achieved (Pr. 4:18). We have not been called by the Lord so we can be dark and dull. He wants us to arise and shine because a great light has come into the world and His glory has risen upon us (Is. 60:1). The light of Christ showed us the proper way to live our lives so that they will shine like He shines. In Him was life that was the light of all mankind. His light shines into the darkness but it cannot be overcome by it (Jn. 1:4-5). In His presence the sun will no longer light our day, nor will the moon shine in the night. The Lord will be our everlasting light and God will be our glory. The sun will no longer set and the moon will wane no more because the Lord will be our light and our days of sorrow will end (Is. 60:19-20). No one lights a lamp and hides it in a container under the bed; they put it on a stand so that everyone can benefit from the light (Lk. 8:16). My light had been lit after getting the word in my heart and it was set ablaze when I experienced someone miss use it. When my torch was lit I could not hide it any longer it had to be shared with everyone who has come near to its light.

To find our call or spiritual gifts sometimes it takes us finding the opposite of what it looks like so that the righteous anger will call us to action. Another way our fire maybe lit is by us drawing near to the sorce of light and being filled so much that the light can no longer be contained. It may take a combination of the two like it was for me. First we must be filled with something to share with the world and then answer the call to action when we are prompted to do so. The first reaction will likely be to run from it; this can be a sign that it truly is something the Lord is asking us to do.

Lord I pray that the light inside of us will grow brighter and brighter as we grow closer to you. If we see issues in a ministry or leader help us not to judge or bad mouth them. Instead, help us to answer the call to do it better if we think we can so that the light in us will change the lives of others. Help us not to condemn others but to pray for them instead that they may see the error in it and take the proper steps to fix it. Instead of worrying what everyone else is doing help us to do what you have for us to do. Illuminate our path Lord so that the darkness will not trip us up and so we can see like you see. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tuesdays Torch has been viewed in countries all across the globe through our website and social media. We pray the words of every Torch will sink into the hearts and minds of readers. Please share Tuesdays Torch and encourage others with it. To partner with Tuesdays Torch and help expand our reach please contact us. We pray the Lord will touch our readers. All of what Christ did was so we would believe. He told us not to believe because of what He said but in what He did (John 14:11). Every Tuesday we talk about what He did and is still doing. The best thing God’s done is send His Son so we could be saved (John 3:16). If anyone is not a believer we pray they will invite the Lord into their lives by asking Him to forgive their sins and believing that He is the Son of God. Please share testimonies, feedback or encouraging words by email at: tuesdaystorch@gmail.com we enjoy hearing from you. Look out for next Tuesdays Torch on our website http://www.tuesdaystorch.com , by email, on Facebook as Tuesdays Torch or Twitter @tuesdaystorch Thanks and God Bless!

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

Sorry I missed writing you this week I was out of town with my wife and family. We enjoyed a much needed vacation and arrangements weren’t in place to send out the Torch while away. Next week we will resume with week 459 of Tuesdays Torch. Thanks for you patients and understanding.